Residents asked to take precautions.
Lake County has recently experienced a sharp increase in reported cases of COVID-19. Since July 1, a total of 176 new cases of COVID-19 have been reported in Lake County, bringing the total count as of Sunday, July 12 to 609 cases, including 567 confirmed and 42 probable cases. Cases reported since the beginning of the month account for 29% of Lake County’s total cases to date. While many of these cases and their contacts are under investigation, it currently appears that this increase is attributable to increasing community spread in Lake County, not to any specific outbreak, location, event, or activity. During the same time period (July 1st -12th), seven new deaths and seven new hospitalizations have also been reported, accounting for 30% of Lake County’s total deaths and 7% of total hospitalizations.
“While we have remained at Level 2 for the past two weeks, we are concerned that we are not far from entering Level 3. All residents need to take this situation very seriously and take proper precautions to protect themselves and our community’s most vulnerable,” said Ron H. Graham, Lake County Health Commissioner.
As Lake County is currently at Level 2 Alert, residents should exercise a high degree of caution. The Lake County General Health District (LCGHD) strongly encourages residents to wear face coverings when out in public, ensure they are maintaining a distance of at least six feet from those outside of their own households, and reconsider attending any large events or gatherings to help minimize the spread of COVID-19. Residents should also continue to wash their hands frequently, and stay home if they are experiencing any kind of symptoms. Other prevention strategies include staycations rather than distant travel and utilizing delivery and curbside services when available.
Lake County General Health District continues to interview those who test positive for COVID-19 and trace their contacts, and requests the public’s ongoing cooperation with these efforts to contain the spread of illness. “The more people an individual interacts with at a gathering and the longer that interaction lasts, the higher the potential risk of becoming infected with COVID-19 and COVID-19 spreading,” said Graham.
Testing sites in Lake County include Signature Health and CVS Pharmacy. Please visit their websites at https://www.signaturehealthinc.org/coronavirus and www.cvs.com for more information.
COVID-19 case information is posted daily to LCGHD’s website at https://www.lcghd.org/2019-novel-coronavirus-ncov/, and questions regarding COVID-19 should be addressed to covid19@lcghd.org or (440)350-2188.